Standing in front of the calendar in her room, Aurora marked the date with her pen. It was four months already and since the first month of her being pregnant, she had been keeping close watch on the date. After she was tested pregnant at the hospital, she cried herself to sleep severely because now, there was no going back. She had to carry Arthur’s child no matter how badly she wanted to end the contract. Soon, she began to encourage herself, and told herself all she had to do was endure for nine months. After noting the date, she walked to the mirror and stood in front of it. Faced with her reflection, she beamed widely as she stared at her baby bump. She ran her palms over her bump, admiring how much weight she had added over the past few months. Her belly seemed to be way bigger for four months too. ‘All these for a baby I wouldn’t even get to know.’ She thought, still smiling. “Hey… can you hear me?” She whispered to her bump. She never expected a response, but then… her
Just when Carter was about to lay down on his bed to relax, he heard the doorbell ring. He furrowed his brows and looked at the time on his wristwatch. It was just 5. p.m., and Arthur would never come back home that early on a weekday. Heaving a tired sigh, Carter got out of bed and headed to the living room to get the door. Looking through the peephole, his eyes widened as he saw Derick at the door. ‘What is he doing here?’ He thought as he went ahead to open the door. “Mr. Derick,” Carter called, stepping aside so he could come in. “Hi, Carter. I’ve always told you to just call me Derick.” He retorted, shutting the door behind himself. “Ummm… Yes.” Carter answered, bowing his head slightly. “Are you here to see Mr. Arthur? He’s yet to return from work.” He added, and Derick nodded, walking to the couch and taking his seat. “Yes, I’m aware. I didn’t come to see him. I came to see you.” He answered with a grin, locking his gaze with Carter’s. “Oh…” Carter answered, unsure of w
Eight months passed slowly as Aurora’s kept struggling to survive in Arthur’s house every single day. Though as time passed, she began to get used to how he treated her. He made it hard for her to communicate with him, get close to him or even eat on the same table. But while Arthur kept trying to make her life miserable, Carter became the friend she never expected to have. Sometimes, he’d sit down next to her and talk to her so she wouldn’t get too lonely. Carter also hated how his boss treated her like she wasn’t human. Truly, Mr Arthur wasn’t good at keeping relationships, he could at least not always put it to her that she was nothing but a breeder, making her feel less of herself. Her friendship with Carter grew more and more, and he was the only reason why she could survive until this very day, the day they’d all been waiting for. A sudden sharp pain gripped Aurora’s lower belly as she headed to the stairs. Her heart began to very fast as the pain wasn’t like the others she
With her babies sleeping soundly in her hands, Aurora couldn’t stop smiling heartily as she stared at them. They were so pink, and their palms were folded tightly yet adorably. She sat at the back of her mother’s truck as she drove them down the tarred, narrow path. The road seemed very quiet, but the noises coming from the body of her mother’s truck weren’t helping issues. She couldn’t begin to imagine letting him go to someone like Arthur. They were so adorable and innocent for her to let them suffer with an unloving man like him. So she did what she could do and ran as fast as she could. Of course, with the help of her mother. “Can we talk now?” Her mother asked from the driver seat, looking back at her through the mirror. “Shh! They are sleeping.” Aurora answered, still staring at them. “They’ve been sleeping for a while now, and we haven’t gotten to talk. I need to know what the hell is going on with you. Why are we driving to the countryside thousands of miles away from
~After five years~ “Mummy! Uncle Jimmy is here!” Ryan screamed from outside the house where he was building his sand castle. “Uncle Jimmy!!” Rowan and Riley also chorused from inside the kitchen where their mother was busy preparing dinner for them. Aurora smiled widely as she watched them run out of the kitchen to meet Jimmy. She met Jimmy when she was working about a year ago. She was a waitress in a small restaurant, and he came to eat. She mistakenly spilled some coffee on his white shirt and instead of him getting so mad at her, he took it with all maturity. He told her she owed him one, and what he wanted in return was to get to know her. At first, Aurora didn’t like the idea of getting to know another man yet. She just wanted to work hard and keep taking care of her boys, but then, Jimmy was persistent. He kept making his pure intentions known to her. Aurora told him that she had three boys, hoping this would scare him off, but it didn’t. Instead, it made him love her e
“I am leaving,” Rachel said, putting her bags together. “Mum, what are you talking about? Where the hell are you going?” Aurora answered in frustration. “Somewhere far away from here! Since you’ve refused to listen to me.” “Don’t tell me this is about me getting together with Jimmy.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, it is! You always take me as the bad person here, whereas, I’m just trying to help you out.” Rachel answered, pulling her bags out of the room. “What of Arthur? Don’t you think he can find you out there? We are better here together.” “You are better off without me. You have your lovely boyfriend, I’m no use here. Just don’t later call my phone, asking for my help.” She retorted, dragging her bag to the front door. “Is there something you are not telling me, Mum?” Aurora said as she walked up to where her mother stood. “I’ve told you everything.” “You claim you’ve spent all your savings to take care of me and the boys. Where did you get the money to make this decis
“Riley, touch a ball in this picture,” Carter said to Riley, placing the textbook in front of him. Riley stared at the picture for a few minutes, and when he eventually pointed, he pointed at the wrong image. “Noo! That is not a ball. This is a ball.” Ryan uttered almost immediately, pointing at the ball and laughing. “Ryan is correct. This is the ball, not that. And you, Ryan, you need to understand your brother is a slow learner. You don’t have to laugh at him. Instead, you should teach and correct him with love, okay? He’s your brother.” Carter said in a calm tone, and Ryan nodded. He moved closer to sulking Riley and rubbed his hand on his head, scattering his neatly combed hair. “I’m sorry, okay? Forgive me.” Ryan mumbled, and immediately, a smile lit up Riley’s face. This touched Carter’s heart and he placed his hand on his chest. “That was so sweet of you, Ryan.” He muttered with a genuine smile. Just then, Aurora walked in on them and caught Carter’s attention. “You’re u
With clenched jaws, Arthur made his way into the house, automatically causing Jimmy to take a few steps backward. “What the h*ll are you doing here this late?” Jimmy asked, holding Aurora’s hand and moving her close to him. Aurora on the other hand, still couldn’t believe her eyes. She remained speechless in terror, staring at Arthur as tears filled up her eyes. Her heart raced in her chest as she perceived that her doom was close. Ignoring Jimmy, he looked at Aurora and asked; “Where are my children? Give them to me and this doesn’t have to get dirty.” He replied, shooting Aurora the sternest look ever. “Mr. Arthur… how…” She stammered, unsure what to say. “Hey, listen. You can't just barge into someone’s house in the middle of the night and start making absurd requests. Leave right now or I’ll call the cops.” Jimmy threatened, and Arthur scoffed, letting out a smirk. “The cops? I think it’s best to call. Let’s see who is going to be spending the rest of their lives in jail!”
~After A week~ While Aurora slept, she perceived the strong smell of pancake in her nostrils. She shook her head, furrowing her brows while her eyes were still closed. “Aurora.” She heard her name in a whisper, and this was when she slightly opened her eyes. Very close to her face was Arthur’s face, which had a large smile on it. “Good morning beautiful.” He uttered, and she smiled faintly, rubbing her eyes with her hands. “Good morning.” She mumbled, her eyes falling shut again. “I made you breakfast.” He added, and her eyes opened again. She looked down at his hands and saw a tray with him. He wore an apron on his singlet and black pants.“You did? I can smell pancakes.” She answered with a smile, and he nodded. “These are the fastest things I can make.” He responded, and she broke into laughter. “Baby, you didn’t have to. You shouldn’t stress your leg, remember?” She answered, sitting up and collecting the tray of pancakes from him. “My leg has gotten better, okay? I don’t
After making love to Arthur, Aurora fell asleep in his arms. Arthur could hardly sleep because he kept staring at her, thinking of how far they had come. Without a doubt, he knew they were destined for each other. ‘I have to make this work again. And this time, without mistakes.’ He thought, slowly and carefully caressing her face in a way that wouldn’t wake her up, but unfortunately, she ended up waking up. She slowly opened her eyes and when she saw him staring at her, she smiled widely. “Hey.” She uttered in almost a whisper, and he responded with a smile. “You didn’t sleep?” She asked, and he shook his head. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop staring at you.” He answered, and she scoffed, looking away. “Stop teasing. How is your leg?” She asked as she sat up. She took a look at his leg and looked at his face again. “I wasn’t teasing. And for my leg, I don’t know. It feels numb.” He answered, causing her to furrow her brows. “Is that a good thing?” She asked, and he shrugged with
The same day, they all went back to Arthur’s house, including Derick and his husband. They helped Aurora bring him out of the car and place him on the wheelchair, while she pushed him into the house. “God, I’ve missed this place so much.” He mumbled and raised his head to look at Aurora, who had a faint smile on her face. “I do miss it too.” She answered, looking at his face. Then she recalled the doctor had told her to clean the scratches on his face which were plastered. “We should clean your scratches as soon as they are gone.” She added, and Arthur nodded. “Okay, Ma’am.” He responded teasingly, which made Aurora furrow her brows. “Ma’am?” She asked with a chuckle, and he nodded. “Why is that?” She further asked. “Because I’ll be doing whatever you ask of me without questioning your opinion.” He answered with their gazes locked. “Can somebody get these two a bed already? They've been so flirty since we left the hospital,” Carter muttered, rolling his eyes. “You know we can
Getting back to the hospital, they met Rachel, Aurora’s mother sitting next to Arthur on the bed. The kids also sat in the bed with Arthur. Arthur sat up on the bed, his back resting against a pillow. “You’re back,” Rachel uttered with a large smile as they all walked into the ward. “Mom, when did you get here?” She asked, opening her hands so she could embrace her kids who eagerly climbed down the bed just to embrace her. “About an hour ago. I was finally told you were around today, and I couldn’t wait one minute longer to see you. I got here and saw that you and the others have headed out.” She responded, and Aurora nodded. “We went for Anita’s court hearing.” She uttered, moving closer to Arthur’s bed. She held his hand and smiled softly. “How are you feeling now?” She asked, taking a glance at his wrapped leg which now lay on the bed. “Better. I feel much better. Thank you.” He answered, and she nodded. “I’m glad.” “How was the hearing?” He asked, and Derick scoffed. “Th
~After A Week~“My Lord, the only evidence against my client is one provided by one man, who I am sure is not a friend of hers and is just looking for a way to complicate her. This may all just be a coincidence.”“Objection, My Lord!” “Objection overruled.”“Thank you, my Lord. Apart from this man who claims to be my client’s friend, there are no other witnesses to prove that my client is guilty. These were just words heard, and I must say that there are so many people who sound the same. It must have been someone else on the phone.” “Objection, My Lord!” “Objection sustained.” “Thank you, My Lord!” Arthur’s lawyer, Mr. Smith stood up to defend Arthur too. “My Lord, I bet my colleague here must have forgotten we also have a video of her on the phone with someone, saying this person should make it seem like an accident. I’ll play this tape now.” He said, giving a USB stick to one of the officers. Aurora looked at Alec, who sat beside her, with fear in her heart. She feared that A
Aurora left the police station with Derick, leaving Alec to do as he had promised. Getting back to the hospital, they met everyone where they had left them. “Aurora, welcome back.” Carter greeted, hugging her, before planting a peck on Derick’s lips. “How was it?” He asked, and Derick heaved a sigh. “It was Anita,” Derick uttered, and Theo scoffed. “I know it. That witch. When will she ever stop? After Mr. Arthur paid her to leave us the hell alone. She just wouldn’t listen.” Theo uttered in anger. “Paid her to leave? What are you talking about?” Aurora asked with her brows furrowed in confusion. “Yes. She came to the house after you left and Mr. Arthur was a total mess. She said he could give her a huge amount of money to make her disappear from our lives totally, and this included getting rid of the baby she claimed was his.” Theo explained, making Carter and Derick exchange looks. “How are we just knowing this? She probably used that money to fuel her next operation! Why wou
In the evening, Aurora and Derick visited the police station while Carter and Theo stayed with Arthur and the kids. Getting to the police station, Aurora walked behind Derick as she was unsure about where to go and what to do. Derick walked up to the cop behind the counter and said; “We are here for Arthur Howard. His wife is here.” Derick uttered, moving away so that the cop could see Aurora who was behind him. “His wife? I thought they never got the chance to be official.” The cop answered with a chuckle, and Derick raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What? It’s all over the internet. She ran away on her wedding day after another lady claimed to be pregnant for him.” He added, and this time, with laughter. Aurora scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. “Do you want to gossip? Or are you going to take us to your boss?” Derick answered with a stern look. “What exactly are you seeing him for?” The cop further asked. “He is just here to frustrate us, Derick. We should leave.” Aur
Aurora arrived at the hospital the next day. She ran into the ward, and when she saw the boys, she broke into tears, kissed them, and embraced them tightly. “Oh God. I was so scared it would be more than these. How are you feeling?” She asked them, and they hugged her again. “We have missed you so much, mummy. We are much better now. They keep giving us injections and drugs, and now it’s as if nothing happened.” Ryan said, and she nodded, tears still streaming down her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay now.” She answered and then looked up to see Theo, Carter, and Derick staring at her. She had almost forgotten they were there. “Hi.” She mumbled as she stood up to greet them. One after the other, they embraced her. She hugged Carter the tightest, burying her head in his shoulder. “Where is he? How is he?” She mumbled in tears, her eyes shut very tight in anticipation of the horrible response she could get. “He’s behind the curtain. Let me walk you there.” He said to her as he hel
While Alec was in Aurora’s house, sneakingly looking for clues about what her next evil agenda was, her landline rang. He furrowed his brows as he walked up to her bedside table and answered the phone. He remained quiet and waited for the person from the other end to speak. “Anita, it’s done. When do we come for the balance? He’s not going to survive it, that’s for sure.” Because he couldn’t answer, he hung up and hastily walked out of the room. “He is not going to survive it? What have you done, Anita!”He got out of the house and left, making sure he wasn’t seen. Driving to his house, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. He feared that Arthur was in great danger, and he wasn’t sure what to do if that was the case. Getting to his house, he turned on the television and drew his phone out of his pocket. He sat on the couch and began to search for news channels. He believed if it was Arthur, the news would carry it because of the influence he has in society. He passed